Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Japan and Sierra Leone

January 28, 2008

On January 23 (Wed), Mr. Masahiko Koumura, Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Japan, held a meeting with Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Minister for Foreign
Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone, who is visiting Japan
to attend the symposium “Building Peace – Japan and UN.” The outline
of the meeting is as follows.

Mr. Koumura told Ms. Bangura that he was very pleased to see that exchange
between Japan and Sierra Leone is advancing through the visits to Sierra
Leone by the then Foreign Minister Masayoshi Hamada in July last year, Mr.
Kenzo Oshima, Senior Vice President of the Japan International Co-operation
Agency (JICA), this month, and this visit to Japan by Ms. Bangura.

Ms. Bangura delivered Mr. Koumura a message from Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma,
President of Sierra Leone, saying that he deeply appreciates Japan’s assistance
to Sierra Leone, especially the assistance in the energy field, which President
Koroma considers as the first priority, and that he plans to attend TICAD
IV in May this year and looks forward to seeing the relationship between
Japan and Sierra Leone strengthened further.

Mr. Koumura said: he is very pleased to know that President Koroma will
attend TICAD IV and welcomes the visits to Japan by President Koroma and
Foreign Minister Bangura; notes on assistance to Sierra Leone in the electric
power field were exchanged last week; and Japan will continue its assistance
to Sierra Leone to help the development of the country.

Mr. Koumura also highly evaluates the concerted efforts to achieve peace
and stability in West Africa being made by Sierra Leone at the Peace Building
Commission, and said that Japan will continue to contribute to Sierra Leone’s
efforts under the concept announced by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda recently
that Japan intends to become a “peace fostering nation” that actively
assists peace-building and contributes to the welfare and development of
the human society.

The Foreign Ministers of Japan and Sierra Leone exchanged opinions on
cooperation in the international arena, and Mr. Koumura expressed his gratitude
for Sierra Leone’s support for Japan’s candidature for election to non-permanent
membership of the United Nations Security Council.